Dazzling throughout her career, Marilyn Monroe has forever marked the landscape of cinema, thanks to her iconic blondeness, mischievous pout, and dream curves. But her incredible on-screen outfits also contributed to her stardom. To put her in the spotlight, costume designers of the era — notably William Travilla — opted for sheath dresses, high-quality materials, and magnificent colors which still make an impact today.
The white dress from The Seven Year Itch (1954)
A bare back, a plunging neckline and an XXL skirt… it's probably the most iconic dress in the history of cinema. This William Travilla piece was exclusively designed for the film. Perched on white heeled sandals, Marilyn Monroe let the air from the metro lightly blow her skirt in an elegant floating motion. While the scene was marked by two kisses between the actress and Tom Ewell, her on-screen partner, the dress was seen as mirroring the personality of The Girl: naive but mischievous. Filming the scene in public required 14 takes, which attracted curious bystanders and photographers who gathered to watch the motion of the dress. The takes, ruined by exclamations from the audience, had to be re-filmed in a private studio in Hollywood.
The pink dress in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
Following a procession of dancers in flouncing dresses, Marilyn Monroe begins one of the most famous musical numbers in cinematic history: Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend. In a shocking pink bustier dress accessorized with evening gloves, she charms the audience and her fellow characters with a radiant look. With an enormous knot at the waist, the satin pink dress was also designed by William Travilla, who worked on several films with the actress. Designed at the last minute, it replaced the original costume: a lingerie outfit covered in precious stones. After the release of scandalous photographs in which Marilyn Monroe posed nude before her fame, director Howard Hawks opted for a less revealing outfit.
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The golden dress in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, William Travilla let his imagination run wild. Inspired by Marilyn Monroe's alluring curves, the designer and friend of the actress created another iconic outfit: the famous gold dress with a ravaging neckline. Visible for only a few moments, this incredible dress remains a cinematic gem. And with good reason — William Travilla stitched the dress onto Marilyn Monroe's body, allowing it to perfectly drape her curves.
The fuchsia dress in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
While Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall are getting ready in the powder room, Marilyn Monroe, or Pola Debevoise, shows up in a whirlwind, dressed in a sublime fuchsia satin one-shoulder dress. Another work of William Travilla, which combines a bustier with an asymmetric shoulder strap across the neckline. Testament to the fashion of the era, Jean Negulesco's How to Marry a Millionaire is full of iconic outfits worn by Marilyn Monroe: the red diamond-incrusted pin-up swimsuit, the white dressing gown, and of course the white pencil dress with its fur stole. Charles Lemaire, in charge of the film's costumes, was awarded an Oscar in 1954.
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The mauve sweater in Let's Make Love (1960)
In the midst of this carnival of extravagant dresses, Marilyn Monroe ravishes in the most ordinary outfits. When Jean-Marc Clément (Yves Montand) arrives at a New York theater to watch rehearsals of a satirical play based on his life, he certainly does not expect to come face-to-face with Amanda Dell, sublimely played by Marilyn Monroe at the height of her beauty. It's 1960, and the actress is swaying her hips, simply dressed in a mauve cable knit sweater and a pair of black tights. The purest sensuality, especially when she sings the falsely naive My Heart Belongs to Daddy!
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Translated in Ella Jones
